Ameritrash for 2-players

I'm fairly sure this topic has been covered before, but what are some good Ameritrash games for 2 players? Note: I'm not talking about 2-player games. I'd prefer if they can be played with more than 2 players but also play well with 2 players. Also I'm not really into war games (well I do like games with a war theme, historical or fictional, but not that hardcore simulation games, Tide of Iron would probably be as far as I'm willing to push it).

Here's what I have so there's no repeats:
A Touch of Evil
Last Night on Earth
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Arkham Horror
Prophecy
HeroCard: Orc Wars
Descent plus all expansions (but I really don't think Descent works well with only 2 players)

So here's what I'm thinking of, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these games:
War of the Ring
Marvel Heroes (played it, I know I'm a fan of it already)
Runebound
Nueroshima Hex
Tales of the Arabian Nights (when it finally comes out)


Any other recommendations? I also prefer games that are in print.

War of the Ring is fun. I've only played it once and that was 2 player. I need to find the time to set it up again.

Risk 2210 and Star Wars: Original Trilogy Risk both work really well as fairly quick 2 player strategy games that don't require reading a lot of rules. I like both but prefer 2210.

Not a multi-player game and not really Ameritrash, but I'll go ahead and suggest Twilight Struggle anyway.

Great question. Every time I float a question like this I end up with one or two great answers that I never would have thought about.

I would add StarCraft if you don't have it already. $70.00 is pretty stiff but the game is very scalable from 2-6 players. The main difference between the 2 player and 3-6 player game is that the 2 player game plays more like a tactical war game vs. a war game with some diplomacy. The 2 player game is a 1 1/2 hour slug fest.

You can probably get Return of Heroes pretty cheaply. I hate the set in this game vs. Prophesy and Runebound.

War of the Ring is now my favorite 2 player player game. The expansion really isn't necessary. I think the base game is better than the expansion unless you've played the base game a bunch of times.

War of the Ring is the best 2-player AT game of all time. Get it. Find someone who will learn and play it with you. Instant AT 2-player bliss for the rest of your days.

The expansion is nice but not necessary. Some cool thematic stuff added, and the Free Peoples get Galadriel (along with other stuff, but she's by far the biggest new weapon they get) so they have a bit easier time of things.

So...yeah. Get that. Then you can worry about a shorter playing 2p AT game, that's kind of a grail...a short 2p AT game that doesn't lose its theme in the process. A Touch of Evil comes close but needs more players than 2, I think, for the best experience.

Oh, and personal thumbs up to Marvel Heroes and Runebound. I also enjoy both games quite a bit. I think Marvel Heroes is a touch better with 3-4 though, and Runebound is probably best considered as *only* a 2 or 3 player game.

More good AT games playable by two, in print:

Fury of Dracula
Pirate King
Fatal Frame (free print 'n' play)
Innsmouth Escape
Miskatonic Madness (free print 'n' play, designed by Richard Launius)

I give a hearty two thumbs up to War of the Ring; my favorite 2 player AT game.

Yeah War of the Ring is probably at the top of my list. I think I'd need the expansion though, I'm a total Tolkien dork and the Balrog is my favorite monster/villain.

I've also heard Starcraft is the best 3-player game around. My buddy has a buddy who has Starcraft and wants to learn to play Descent, we just haven't gotten around to getting the three of us together.

I've played Risk 2210 maybe twice. It was OK, but it's been a couple of years since I've played it. I've also never played a full game of Nexus Ops, which I thought a lot of people would throw out.

Hmm,

War of the Ring - Great with 2 and can be played with teams of 2

Starcraft - Tons of fun with anything from 2 to 6. Expensive but worth it.

Risk: Clone Wars Edition - Plays well with 2 or 4. A little harder to find now but still cheap. (You need 3 or 5 players to make Risk: SW Original Trilogy to sing)

Titan - plays very well with 2 and scales all the way up to 6.

Arkham Horror - works as a 2p game if each players uses two investigators.

Ghost Stories - Plays anything from 2-4 very well. Its also a lot of fun and very challenging to win.


-Will

I really, really like Marvel Heroes with 2 players. That's the main reason I've held onto it.

Nexus Ops left me cold. I understand the attraction to the ease of play and quick game time, but it's so aggressive that there isn't much point in playing any defense. I prefer my war games to cause me to think about expansion and homeland defense. I also thought the card driven victory points took some of the control out of my hands and into the game's.

I like Risk 2210 a lot and see it as the quintessential AT game, but I'm not sure I'd be down for a two player game.

Lots of love for War of the Ring. I'll have to give that a try next year.

I'll second FoD as a good two-player game, but I prefer MH with two.

[Ignoring your OOP request 'cos I wouldn't have much to say]

Star Wars: The Queens Gambit - this must be the ultimate AT game for two on theme, narative, pieces, and dice.
War of the Ring - ultimate in print.
Block Mania - great 80s game with brilliant theme and pretty good mechanics and play.
Risk: Star Wars Clone Wars - The OT version does need 3 or 5 to keep in theme.
Battlelore - never played it but since it's fantasy it probably should be in the AT camp.
Memoir '44 - don't know if this qualifies, wargamers would probably disown it.

War of the Ring is my favorite 2-player AT game.

StarCraft is good, too. I like it best with less than 5 players.

I'll second the recommends for War of the Ring and Runebound. I'll add that DOOM is good two-player as well.

Fortress America

yeah I've got BattleLore but it's not doing much for me lately. Memoir '44 is OK, so is Commands and Colors: Ancients, but again those are 2-player games rather than games that play well with 2. I like to keep my options open.